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REPORT 



CONTRIBUTORS 



Ladies' East Tennessee 



RELIEF ASSOCIATION. 



philadklpuia: 
HOLLAND & EDGAR. PRINTERS. lA NORTH EIGHTH STREET. 

18G4. 



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REPORT 



CONTKIBUTOES 



Ladies' East Tennessee 



RELIEF ASSOCIATION. 



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PHILADELPHIA: 
HOLLAND & EDQAE, PRINTERS. 64 NORTH EIGHTH STREET. 

1864. 






1 






REPORT 



We herewith transmit to the contributors to the East Tennessee 
Relief Association, a report of our labors in that State, and 
although curtailed therein by the stringent orders of Gen. Sherman, 
prohibiting the transportation of other than army supplies, except to 
a very limited extent, we trust the arrangements made for the distri- 
bution of stores will meet the approbation of all concerned. On 
arriving in Knoxville, Rev. T. W. Humes informed us that our 
goods were still in Nashville awaiting a permit from the Custom- 
House to forward them. The length of time which would probably 
elapse before their arrival, induced the acceptance of the profifered 
services of Mrs. Horace B. Maynard and Mrs. Humes to act as 
agents in their distribution, as well as others that may be sent to 
Knoxville. Those forwarded consisted of one case women's shoes ; 
one do. staple trimmings, hosiery, handkerchiefs, combs, brushes, 
soap, domestic muslins, ready-made clothing, canned meats, soups, 
fruits, poultry, tomatoes, one box corn starch, one do. Hecker's 
farina, one do. concentrated milk, a case currant jelly, in addition to 
which, the following donations are thankfully acknowledged : — one 
box hospital stores from Hopewell Aid, New Jersey ; one do. ready- 
made clothing, Tioga Aid Society ; one do. Church of the Messiah, 
corner of Juniper and Locust Streets ; one do. Misses H.; one from 
Crosswicks, N. J., a large quantity from M. A. L., Philadelphia, 
together with a valuable assortment of medicines from Chas. Ellis. 

Many second-hand garments were received anonymously, and 
being but little worn weie of much service. Supplies are still being 
forwarded, and it is hoped sufficient interest will be manifested to 
enable us to continue to relieve, in some measure, the distress of the 
suffering Loyalit^ts of East Tennessee. 

The impossibility of organizing a Refugee Home at Knoxville, 
under existing stringent rules for transportation, is much to be regret- 
ted, as the establishment bearing that name is destitute of comfort and 
order. Government provides a house and half rations, but the latter 



are at times withdrawn. This cheerless shelter ia gladly hailed by 
hundreds of aged women and small children, some of whom walk 
sixty or seventy miles barefoot, over a mountainous region, exposed 
to pittiless storms, and often amidst the jeering of a relentless foe. 
To particularize the cases of destitution would be impossible, for 
they arrive not in scores but by thousands. With few exceptions, 
the sons, brothers and husbands of these are fighting or have fallen 
in the Union ranks, whilst in some instances they have been shot 
for allegiance to' the government. The following summary taken 
from official statistics in Sevier county, proves the loyalty of its 
inhabitants — sixteen hundred voters, sixty-one for secession — one 
thousand Federal soldiers. 

Mr. N. C. Patterson, of Roane County Auxiliary Relief Asso- 
ciation, writes to Mr. Jackson, General Agent, from Kingston, 
May 27th, 18G4 : — '* No rations being issued by the Commissary 
Department, we are using the stores received to supply extreme 
cases of destitution, not only, nor so much of our own County, as 
of Cumberland, Morgan, Scott and Anderson Counties. The scenes 
presented are truly painful ; women walk a distance of thirty to fifty 
miles, and ask for two or three mosses of provisions to keep their 
children from starving, until blackberries commence ripening. 

The Generals commanding all head quarters which we visited, 
expressed deep sympathy with the refugees, and the following ex- 
tract from a letter of Rev. T. W. Humes to Edward Everett, is an 
evidence of the interest manifested by all officers of the Army of 
the Cumberland with whom we conversed : — " I have had a conver- 
sation with Brig. General McLean of the U. S. Army, who ariived 
in town night before last. He made the journey through the 
mountains on horseback, and relates that about twelve or thirteen 
miles north of Jacksborough, he and his staff observed a log cabin 
near the road side, that had a very dilapidated appearance, the door 
being broken, the chinking between the logs gone, and the chimney 
in a wretched condition. Three children stood in the door-way, 
looking disconsolate atid emaciated. Their father was a soldier in 
one of the Tennessee regiments of the Federal Army, and had been 
taken prisoner by the rebels. The mother had taken one of her 
children and gone to Jacksborough to obtain something to eat, leav- 
ing the other three at home. Soon after passing the house. General 
^IcLane dined, and sent a portion of his dinner to the children, the 
me.ssenger who carried it, told on his return, that when he entered 



5 

the cabin with the food, one of the children ate it with the eagerness 
which is excited by a ravenous appetite. The General sent back a 
message to the regiment which was some miles behind, informing 
the soldiers of the facta of the case, and he supposes they have left 
enough of their rations to feed the almost starving children of their 
fellow-soldier. About live miles this side of the log cabin, he and 
his staff met the mother and child returning from Jacksborough to 
their comfortless home; she had succeeded in getting a little flour, 
that was all. The County of Campbell, where this scene occurred, 
has suff'ered severely from the war, and almost from the beginning 
of it." 

Great privations are also endured by many occupying high social 
positions, to whom the north owe a debt that millions will not suf- 
fice to pay. With an unflinching devotion to the Union, the women 
of Tennessee " nerved the strong arm of man in the day of trouble, 
and of treading down, and of perplexity, breaking down of the walls 
and crying to the mountains." Some were sent beyond the rebel 
lines during the reign of terror, their property confiscated and sold 
to Georgia and other states, whilst others sold out at mere nominal 
prices to avoid confiscation, and the rebel money they were obliged 
to receive has impoverished them by its worthlessness. The scarcity 
of provisions, and the fabulous prices of all the necessities of life, 
(sugar one dollar per pound, and every thing in the same ratio,) re- 
quire sacrifices of which the people of the north can have no ade- 
quate conception. The day after our arrival in Chattanooga, the 
rain poured in torrents, and one vast expanse of mud spread around 
the depot and seemed to fill the valley from hill to hill. Long lines 
of cars filled the numerous walks with their freight of human souls, 
some with reinforcements for the front, and others bearing a por- 
tion of the 2500 wounded in the late battle ; ambulances filled with 
dead, and on the road side piles of cofiined remains awaiting the ar- 
rival of a freight train to take them north, and amidst all this, crowds 
of refugees huddle together without shelter. Some of these had 
been robbed by guerrillas of every article they possessed, except the 
clothing on their backs, and in many instances bonnets were taken 
from their heads, and the fiends would put them on and ride taun- 
tingly before the poor creatures, "exulting in their chivalry." We 
had obtained permission at the hotel for some of them to lie on the 
floor the night previously, and ordered breakfast for them in the 
morning. One was accompanied by a small child, and it was impos- 



Bible to rouse her from the depth of despair with which she was over- 
whelmed. Her eyes were so swollen and inflamed by continued 
weeping, that partial blindness was the result. Her husband was in 
the Federal Army, and on giving this information, she exclaimed : — 
" Oh ! I thought when the Union people came they would protect us ! 
but my children are starving, our corn is gone, our farm destroyed, 
and we must die !" Her boy was sleeping on the broad window sill, 
and I told her to rest for the night on a lounge, with promises of 
assisting her in the morning to obtain food. Before the dawn of 
day she had disappeared, no one knew whither. 

When breakfast was announced, one of the refugees, who had 
walked seventy miles, caught Mrs. H. by the arm, exclaiming: 

" Woman, you say you will pay for my breakfast. Oh, give me 
the money instead, to buy corn for my starving children at home." 
Her large black eyes expressed the earnestness of her request, and 
every word was stamped with truth. Her husband is in our army, 
and stationed about fifteen miles below Nashville, whither she was 
endeavoring to go to obtain some money. 

She had determined to retrace her steps homeward, but was pre- 
vented by information received from us that the Provost Marshall 
at Nashville had no power to allow her to return. Two cases were 
existing at that time where the mothers of families had left on the 
same errand, one leaving six children the other four. They were 
unable to obtain passes to return, as orders were stringent on account 
of the multiplicity of such cases. Since then four children of one 
family have died and two of the latter, whilst the heart broken 
mothers are still absent from their homes. No persuasion was ne- 
cessary after this statement, and on being informed that she could 
purchase corn in an adjacent county for one dollar per bushel, and 
that a Union neighbor would grind it for her, we gave her ten dol- 
lars, and she soon resumed her journey over the mountains. Her 
husband had enlisted at the commencement of the war and was con- 
fined in Jiibby prison a long time, which fact, togethfer with the 
above statement, were verified by information received from Mr. 
Nelson, of Knoxville, who was a prisoner at the same time. During 
this period she had cultivated the farm with her own hands and 
raised large crops, but all had been taken and the land laid waste. 
This class are uneducated, but industrious, and live by exchanging 
the products of their farms for other necessities. 



The three classes of Southern whites are thus described in Harper: 
" First, the ruling class, which includes the planters and the higher 
grades and professional men, and numbers about one million. 2d. 
The middle or laboring class, which includes the small traders, 
mechanics, farmers, and farm and other laborers, and numbers about 
six and a half millions ; and 3d. ' The mean white class,' which 
includes all who are appropriately called ' poor trash,' and number 
about half a million. The two latter classes are of very marked 
and decidedly opposite characteristics. One labors, is industrious, 
hardy, enterprising; a law-abiding and useful citizen. The other 
does not labor; is thieving, vicious, law-breaking and of no sort of 
account." There are very few of this class in East Tennessee. 
Thousands of those who have been surrounded by the comforts of 
life have had their homes desolated by the two contending armies, 
and pass in hundreds through Chattanooga, homeless victims of a 
pro-slavery oligarchy. We assisted several of this class pecuniarily, 
and also made intercessions for some at head quarters, resulting 
favorably. Provisions are scarce and enormously high in Chatta- 
nooga, but we were obliged to make purchases there to relieve extreme 
destitution. Some assistance was also bestowed on Look-Out 
Mountain, where much suffering prevails. We left means to purchase 
delicacies from sutlers for a woman in the last stages of consump- 
tion ; also, some clothing and a portion of the medicine kindly fur- 
nished by Charles Ellis. The remainder was distributed amono- 
invalids in Chattanooga. The Refuge Home in Nashville embraces 
barracks for those who need a temporary home and a hospital. 
The building was formerly a medical college, and to those accus- 
tomed to witness the comfort arising from systematic organizations 
in the North, this presents the very concentration of misery and 
want. Government provides the house and half rations, and medi- 
cal attendance, with free admission to all classes. The sick and 
dying lie around the dissecting and lecture room, whilst orphan 
children gaze on you so pitifully in their squallid misery, that 
thanks arise for the mercy that removes so many to their eternal 
homes. Disease is prevalent, but exhaustion from long journeys 
and exposure bear the greater proportion to the tomb. We furnished 
means to purchase milk and ice for the coming week. A few days 
since a mother and two little children laid themselves down to die 
in the Refugee Home, after travelling many miles, and it is a marvel 
how their weary limbs sustained them on their way. Many whose 



8 

husbands have fallen in the Union ranks, and who would have been 
able to raise themselves above want had opportunity been afforded, 
doubtless perish in the woods and caves, unheard of and unknown. 
The Refugee Farm is situate about two miles from Nashville, where 
gardens are laid out and assigned to different persons, who reap the 
benefit therefrom. The cultivated portion presents a thriving 
appearance, but much more land might be improved, if means 
could be obtained to purchase stock and farming utensils. We gave 
the superintendent One Hundred Doljars to purchase articles most 
needed, feeling an assurance that under his judicious management 
it will be well appropriated. There are seventy refugees at this 
place. 

Since our return, $200 has been received for farming purposes 
from the Gentlemen's Penn'a R. A. 

For the assistance we have been enabled to render these sufferers, 
as well as for the ability to forward more supplies, we thank the 
generous donors on behalf of a people suffering for their loyalty, 
and who will maintain their allegiance to the government even unto 
death. 

Our special thanks are due to Morton McMichael ; Editors Sun- 
day Morning Times; Evening Telegraph; Crissy and Markley; 
King and Baird ; Geo. D. Parrish & Co.; Adams Express ; Joseph 
Chapman, and Penn'a Central Railroad Co. 

As a Hospital in Knoxville will be established as soon as trans- 
portation for supplies is open, under the management of Mrs. Joseph 
Canby, and other ladies from Philadelphia, it is hoped contributions 
to aid us in our labors will not be withheld. 

MARY M. HALLOWELL, 

2121 Arch Street, Phil'a. 

ELLEN E. PARRISH, 

1305 Arch Street, Phil'a. 



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